1959 Daytona 500

1959 Daytona 500
Race details[1]
Race 2 of 44 in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series
Lee Petty No. 42 and Johnny Beauchamp No. 73 battle on the last lap of the 1959 Daytona 500.
Lee Petty No. 42 and Johnny Beauchamp No. 73 battle on the last lap of the 1959 Daytona 500.
Date February 22, 1959 (1959-02-22)
Official name First 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona
Location Daytona International Speedway
Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (800 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures reaching up to 68 °F (20 °C); wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Average speed 135.521 mph (218.100 km/h)
Attendance 41,921
Pole position
Driver
Time 140.121 mph (225.503 km/h)
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner Bob Welborn, Shorty Rollins and Jack Smith
Most laps led
Driver Jack Smith
Laps 57
Winner
No. 42 Lee Petty Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network Not televised
Program promoting the 1959 Daytona 500.

The 1959 First 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona[2] (now known as the 1959 Inaugural Daytona 500) was the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921 spectators.[3] It was the first race held at the 2.5-mile (4.0 kilometer) Daytona International Speedway.[4]

  1. ^ Weather information for the 1959 Daytona 500 at The Old Farmers' Almanac.
  2. ^ Caraviello, David (February 16, 2008). "In 1959, first Daytona 500 changed city, sport forever". NASCAR. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved October 10, 2008.
  3. ^ Race results; Retrieved October 24, 2007.
  4. ^ Jan 7, Joe Menzer; ET, 2017 at 5:35p. "Classic photos from controversial first Daytona 500 in 1959". FOX Sports. Retrieved July 15, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)